Here's another Paiden (this time M-rated) one-shot, per zcollins1994's request. I'm keeping Warden with his gloves on for now (even though it seems pointless!) because I thought the moment when he touched Paige without them in the book was pretty special, and I want it to remain like that.

(I apologise if you're reading from the future (when the rest of the books have been published) and find inconsistencies, but The Bone Season is all I have for now!)

*Disclaimer: As before, I still don't own the Bone Season. And I wish I could post a picture of Paiden together, but Leiana is still working on that. Oh, and the display picture is also hers.

This time it was different.

This time Nashira had Nick locked up in one of her rooms, and Paige couldn't figure out which one.

"Paige!" She heard him scream.

Paige desperately tried to search in her memory for a time when this had happened and she had saved his life, but she couldn't find any. This isn't a memory, she thought. This is real.

"Paige!" She heard again. His voice sounded desperate, as if on the edge of breaking and never coming back again.

"Nick!" She shouted back, hoping against all odds to find him and save him.

"Where are you?!" She asked at thin air. She looked around her, but all she could see were the outlines of doors and endless passages.

"Where are you, Nick?" She was running from door to door, opening one after the other in her search for Nick. But none of the rooms had what she was looking for.

Every room contained something different but equally horrifying.

In one room there were three amaurotics being beat up by a Rephaite.

In another, her friend Liss was being used as a show clown, and a crow of Rephaim and red jackets were laughing at her inability to stay on the rope.

Another one contained Seb, and endless knifes were being thrown at him from all directions. Paige wanted to help, but she couldn't see where the knives were coming from, and would expose herself if she came in.

"Seb..." She tried to say, but her trail of thought was interrupted by more shouting.

"Paige!" This time Nick's voice sounded closer, so Paige abandoned Seb's room and went to another one.

She went into three more rooms until she found a door that wouldn't open.

"Please, Paige!" She heard Nick's voice coming from the inside. He was in there and she was sure of it, but now she had to figure out how to get in.

"Nick!" She screamed. "I'm here, please Nick hold up!"

She pushed her body against the door, but it remained shut.

"I'm coming Nick, please hold on!" She said as she smashed her right shoulder against the door. She was pushing with her all strength now, but the door still did not give in. She tried again and again, each time her shoulder hurting more from the hits, but she didn't give up. She couldn't give up.

Finally she heard a woman's laugh come from inside. It was Nashira's, and it sounded wicked.

"Nick!" She screamed again. Not Nick, please not him, she thought. She pulled away from the door, gathered all strength and ran into the door again. This time the impulse was strong enough, and the door burst open.

But it was too late.

Nashira had taken a knife in her hand and Paige watched as she ran the knife through Nick's neck, beheading him completely.

"NO!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. She was about to lunge at Nashira when she saw someone else enter the room from behind the shadows. It was Warden.

Paige stopped dead on her tracks. This couldn't be happening.

Warden approached Nashira, and smiled.

"I brought him just for you, my queen," he said. "as a symbol of my love for you." Warden then put his arms around her waist, and kissed her.

It was too much.

Paige was suddenly blinded with rage, and she felt her dreamscape come apart with every touch they shared.

She couldn't handle this.

It was too much.

Before she knew what was happening, her feet were leading her up to Warden's spot.

"I will kill you!" She screamed, and raised both arms in the air, ready to pounce on him.

When she reached him, she saw him turn around and grab her arms before she could do anything else.

"I will kill you!" She repeated, desperately trying to disengage herself from him.

"Paige" He said her name.

"Just you wait!" She couldn't stop herself.

"Paige."

"I will kill you!"

"Paige!" He was shaking her, and suddenly everything came into focus.

She wasn't inside Nashira's house. She wasn't in a room next to a beheaded Nick. She wasn't with Nick at all.

She was in her room, on her bed, and Warden was next to her, holding both her arms.

Paige's trail of thought took her to earlier in the night, when Warden had wanted her to take the green pill but she had refused. And without the green pill, she wouldn't dream memories. This hadn't been a memory, it had been a nightmare.

"Paige," He said. "You were screaming."

But Paige's mind was elsewhere, and all she could think about was that Warden was the enemy, and she had to get away from him.

"Let go of me!" She shouted at him, but he didn't release her arms.

"Get away from me!" She screamed. When he didn't budge, Paige pulled back her arms and freed herself from her grasp.

"Paige-"

"GET AWAY FROM ME NOW!" She sat back on the bed and kicked him with her legs. Warden covered his chest with his arms but didn't go away.

"Paige, stop it, you're going to wake up the others"

"I SAID GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Please stop!" Warden sounded anxious, and Paige could feel the worry in his voice, but she couldn't stop. She shouted at him to leave her alone, over and over again.

When she wouldn't stop screaming, Warden took her hands in one of his and covered her mouth with the other. Paige was frantic. She felt like a prisoner, and she wanted out. She wouldn't have this, not from him. He couldn't control her just like that. She tried kicking him again, but his grip on her was too strong.

She couldn't escape.

Just leave me alone, she thought.

Escaping was useless, and she realised this slowly as her muffled screams decreased with every second.

Just go away...

Finally she was overwhelmed with tiredness, and she stopped resisting. Once her breathing evened out, Warden released her.

"It was just a nightmare," He said. "It's over now."

"I know." She said. She was too tired to be blunt, but she still wanted to be left alone.

"I'm sorry I came up, but you wouldn't stop screaming"

"You're sorry you came up? What the hell are you saying? You wouldn't have come up if you didn't want anything from me. Well guess what, whatever it is, forget it. I'm done with everything. I'm done with you."

Paige didn't know exactly what she was doing, didn't know what she meant by being done with him. Perhaps a subconscious part of her mind was breaking up with whatever metaphorical emotional relationship they had had. Or, perhaps she was breaking up with the physical part. She looked back at the day before: it had to be either of them.

"Paige, look at me." She heard him say.

"I'm fine now. I'll try to remain silent if those are your wishes, Warden." She mimicked him.

"I just want you to know that you can share your thoughts with me. You can trust me, Paige."

"So that's what you want. My dreams." She laughed ironically.

Warden remained silent.

"You are unbelievable. You can't spy on my dreams anymore so you expect me to tell you all about them?"

"I didn't-"

"Go to hell, Warden."

"I'm already in hell" He replied.

Paige sniggered. It almost made her laugh. Almost. She lay back in bed and rolled to the other side, facing away from him. She pretended to sleep and hoped it would be enough to make him go away. Maybe he would finally leave her alone.

"Paige..."

No, of course he wouldn't.

"I went to Nashira's quarters today" He said.

That caught her attention. Why would Warden visit his fiancée in the middle of the day? It made no sense to Paige. Warden's feelings for Nashira were clear enough for Paige to understand he didn't precisely like her.

"But I couldn't go inside." He admitted to her, as if admitting a defeat.

Paige got up on her elbow and faced him.

"Why are you telling me this?" She asked.

"Because... I'm... I'm not strong enough, Paige."

Paige's dreamscape quivered slightly. She sat back up on her bed and looked at him.

Warden was sharing his fears with her. In a way, he was sharing a piece of himself with her, and Paige was sure he hadn't done this with anyone else. Could she perhaps begin to trust him? He was in contact with Nashira and the other Rephaim, yes, but the way he spoke of them made her think he didn't trust them.

And if he didn't trust them, it meant Paige was the only one he could confide with.

She was all he had.

And, he was all she had.

Yes, she could trust him. She had no one else. Paige looked at him briefly. Warden had gone very still, but his breathing was even enough for him to understand whatever she might tell him.

So she told him.

"I saw Nick," She admitted. She was desperate to make the memory less real, she needed confirmation that it hadn't been real. Warden could give her that. "In my... nightmare." She continued. "Nashira had him, and she... beheaded him."

She looked up at Warden, his gaze was fixed on hers.

"You were there. You told Nashira that you had brought him just for her. And then you..."Her voice failed her. She wanted to tell him that she had seen them kiss, that she hadn't liked it. But she couldn't go on. It was too intimate. Too fragile. She couldn't admit to her real feelings, not to him.

But she didn't have to. He understood.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"I'm sorry too." She was apologising about earlier, when she had pushed him away.

She hadn't meant to do that. She didn't want Warden away from her. It was the contrary, she wanted him closer, needed him closer.

Warden leaned in a few inches.

"It will all soon be over." He said. He didn't sound too convinced, but Paige didn't care.

"I hope so" She breathed. She moved her body closer to his by the slightest bit. Both their faces were very close now. The tension in the room was electrifying, and Paige was once again overwhelmed with emotions she had yet to understand.

Warden brought his hand to her face, and held her gaze. Paige's dreamscape shook violently. Both their breathings were heavy now, and Paige's heart thumped fast in anticipation. She knew where this was leaded, and she wanted that.

Finally, Warden closed the gap, and his lips were on her as swift and rough as they had been the night before.

Both their mouths greeted each other as if reuniting after a long time apart. Both their tongues sought each other desperately, unable to get enough of each other.

Paige felt Warden's hands move down her body, and her hands did the same. Warden reached the end of her shirt and pulled. The strong wind was back on her dreamscape, and this time a heat wave came with it. Paige raised her arms and Warden pulled up her shirt, removing it from her body. Their kiss was broken for a few seconds, but both their mouths sought each other desperately afterwards.

Paige played with his hair, her fingers caressing, pushing, and pulling it. She wanted to remove his shirt, but her hands were not following any logical movement. And her thoughts had become too incoherent to understand.

Suddenly Warden pulled back a little bit.

"Paige," he breathed. "This is wrong."

"I know." She whispered. She pulled at his collar and kissed him again, running her hand down his back. She felt Warden's hands trail down her back too, his gloved fingers fumbling with her bra, but then they stopped.

"I can't," he said as he pulled away from her lips. "I'm sorry."

"Please don't." She said as she moved her hands to her back. "Warden, please don't." She kissed him again and her fingers fumbled with the bra hook.

"I can't force this on you." He said and then grabbed her arms, stopping her from further removing her clothes.

"No, don't say that, you can't say that!"

"Paige."

"No, No". She said as she pulled at his clothes. She grabbed his shirt by the bottom and tried to pull it upwards, but Warden's arms did not move.

"Paige."

"No!" She was frantic, blind with desperation. She wanted this. She needed this.

"Stop." He said, but instead she grabbed both sides of his shirt and ripped them apart. She then tugged at the sleeves and ripped them too, desperately trying to get a hold of him.

"Please, Paige."

"No, please Warden" She said. She threw the broken shirt pieces away as she fought back the tears that were threatening to come out.

"Please Warden." She repeated. She knew she sounded anxious, desperate. Crazy even. But she couldn't stop herself. Warden was not being fair by pulling away. He had been the one to initiate the kiss, and now he wasn't being fair on her.

She kissed his lips. "Please, I need this. Please" She begged.

"You don't know what you're saying, Paige. You're—"

"No, please Warden. I need this. I want this."

"You want this or you want me?" He asked her. He was hurt, and only now could Paige begin to understand where he was coming from. He wanted her, not the act. But she couldn't afford to feel the same way. He was the enemy. He was the threat. He was everything she had...

Paige ran her hands down his chest as she kissed his neck, desperately clinging to what she could not lose."Warden..." She whispered, her voice trembling.

But he stopped her hands, grabbed her face and brought it close to his.

"Stop it now, Paige." It was an order.

Paige looked at him, thinking fast. Unlike what she liked to fantasise, Paige didn't have any power over him. Deep down, she knew she should obey. She shouldn't push her luck. Warden could turn on her at any moment.

But Paige never followed orders.

She pushed his hands away and closed her lips in on his, again. This time they were moist, and she realised it was due to her tears.

When she pulled away, she locked her eyes with his. "I want you. I need you." She said between sobs. "Please don't make me say it again. Please Arcturus-" her voice cracked, and her head fell to his neck.

Despite all her efforts to be strong, to move on, to fight back, Paige finally gave in. She was tired of it all, tired of putting on a facade every night, tired of keeping her distance. She just wanted Warden, she needed him with her at all times. She couldn't afford to lose him, and she couldn't bear seeing him with anyone else. But that was wrong, and Paige knew it. They were complete opposites, like oil and fire. She wasn't supposed to feel this way. Plus, what about Jaxon and the rest? What about Nick? There he was, in her mind yet again. It made her feel so guilty, but she couldn't deny her feelings for Warden any longer. She just wanted out. She wanted that so badly.

"Shhh" She heard him say. He was soothing her like he had done the day before, waiting patiently for her tears to dry. He rubbed her back with swift strokes, each of them reminding Paige of the times she had been happy, she had been childish and safe.

"I'm here, Paige. I'm here and will be for as long as I can." His words made Paige's dreamscape tremble. She put her arms around him and cried on his shoulder. She needed him here, right now. And she was so glad he was there.

The sobs went on for one, two, three minutes. The last tears were shed silently, as if following the trail that their earlier companions had left for them. Paige's breathing evened out slowly, and she waited until her cheeks were dry to finally look up at Warden.

She wanted to say thank you, but the words would not come.

Would he think she was taking advantage of him? Paige's mind was racing. To some extent, Warden was the one using her. He was the one with the power to do as he pleased with her. He was her tutor by night and her captor by day, using her gift as a dreamwalker to forge her abilities, perhaps for Nashira or perhaps for himself. He was in the position to take advantage of the golden cord, whenever he wanted.

But, she thought. So was she.

They were on more or less equal positions. She had the power to destroy him. If she told Nashira about Warden's encounters with the Emim, his position as the royal cohort would be immediately terminated. If she walked out on him the next time he got attacked by the Buzzers, he could potentially die. And today, she had been the one to seek comfort within his embrace. He had been the one to kiss her, yes, but she had wanted that. She was taking advantage of him in the same way that he was.

Which meant no one was using anybody. They both needed one another.

And Warden's gaze on her told her just that.

"You are so beautiful." He whispered. He was echoing the words from the night before, acknowledging its existence and silently thanking her for saving his life. Paige's dreamscape was shattering inside, every poppy coming apart one by one, unable to resist his teasing any longer.

But she wouldn't have to anymore.

Warden slowly planted his lips on hers, and then they were kissing again.

This time the kiss was slow, tentative, moist. Their mouths moved rhythmically, their tongues dancing as if performing a routine they had rehearsed for so long. She explored his mouth, he explored hers, neither able to get enough of each other. Warden's hands closed protectively around Paige's torso, and he slowly lowered them both down.

He continued to kiss her as he reached underneath her and effortlessly unhooked her bra. Paige's hands slowly drifted down to Warden's pants, where she found the belt and tugged. Warden obeyed, and his hands came back and quickly removed his trousers. Their kiss was broken for a few seconds, when he finished removing his pants and tossed them aside. Meanwhile, she did the same, and soon they were both lying on the bed with only their underwear. Her bra had been unhooked, but it still remained on her chest.

Warden came back and continued to kiss her, his hands gently stroking the hair around her ears. Paige couldn't breathe.

But she wasn't satisfied, she wanted more, she wanted him, in ways not even she understood. She was overwhelmed with a hunger she had never experienced before. She thought about the time when she had lost her virginity, at eighteen, with a complete stranger. But this was nothing like that. That time she had only wanted a quick escape, and had been surprised when the guy readied himself for sex. This time she was the one readying for it. She wanted Warden in a whole, new level. She wanted him so badly.

Paige's hand trailed down his body and when she reached his underpants, she tugged.

But he stopped her.

"Wait" Was all he said.

Silently, he grabbed her lower arms and pinned them above her head, putting the left hand under the right one, and her arms formed an X. Paige's breathing increased; underneath her skin, her heart was racing.

He brought his face close to hers.

"Stay like this" he whispered.

Paige only had time to inhale his words before his lips were all over her again. This wasn't an order, and she knew that, but she was more than happy to comply. When Warden parted his lips from hers, he moved onto her neck, and Paige exhaled.

Take me to the aether, she thought. Take me far away.

Warden's mouth trailed down Paige's neck, his lips sending shivers down her back, his tongue leaving a wet track as he moved slowly down her body.

Take me now, she begged.

He reached her chest, and stopped for a moment. With his hands, he reached for her bra and removed it from her breasts, slowly pulling it upwards until it was high enough for Paige to slip it off from her arms, first one hand and then the other. Warden stood back for a moment and admired Paige's semi-naked body. When he was satisfied, he tentatively lowered his mouth to one of her breasts, and then he sucked.

The feeling could only be described as a stream of icy water running through her body, and having the same effect on her dreamscape. Paige's nipples hardened, and little moans escaped from her mouth.

Adrenaline was pushing at her body. She wanted more, and she wanted it soon.

Warden seemed to read her thoughts as his mouth continued moving downwards. He reached her belly and planted swift kisses on and around her belly button, each kiss sending a tingling sensation throughout Paige's body.

When he reached the edge of Paige's underpants, he stopped. He pulled back and his fingers curled around her waistband, but before he continued, he looked at Paige.

She looked at him, and nodded, giving him permission to claim her body.

I'm all yours, she thought.

Paige's heart thumped hard as Warden started to pull her panties down. She lifted her bottom slightly off the bed to aid him, and then bent her legs as he slipped off the last bit of her underwear.

She was now completely naked under him, and she loved it. So much.

Warden stood back a bit and contemplated her body for a few seconds, still in disbelief that he could finally have Paige as he had wanted. Then, without warning, he bent down and kissed her on the smooth skin of her left inner thigh.

Paige moaned, but didn't move.

Warden continued to plant kisses around her thighs, each of them slowly getting closer to her groin, until his mouth was on her feminine parts, just below her clit.

"You're very wet." He told her with a whisper.

"You made me like that." She managed to get out.

And then his lips were all over her groin, his tongue exploring the whole of her. His tongue gently probed between her inners lip, the tip dipping in the slick juices that were pooling from her.

Paige was hectic.

She wanted to move, wanted to scream his name, wanted to move her arms from above her head, grab his hair and bring his face close to her again, to kiss him and taste herself in his mouth. But she did none of those. Instead she let her instincts take over and allowed her breaths to come out quicker, as if forced from her inner chest.

Warden placed his lips over the sensible bundle of nerves and very gently sucked for a moment, feeling her inner lips darken and swell.

Paige involuntarily flinched in response, and he took it as a prod to continue.

So he sucked again, hard. His tongue played with her insides, and he continued to suck at her groin as he had sucked her nipples just now; and as he had sucked her bleeding hand the day before.

Paige's breathing increased, the last of her coherent thoughts disappearing from her mind. She closed her eyes and let the pleasure take over her. She only wanted this, right now, and the rest didn't matter. She let herself be his, until it became too much to bare.

"Warden...Please...Now." She said between breaths.

And Warden obeyed.

He pulled away, and Paige felt as he quickly removed his underpants. Her vision was foggy, she couldn't see anything. She was only aware of the fire pushing between her legs, and her breaths getting heavier by the second as the fire increased, each breath becoming too much to handle.

Only one word was coherent enough for her mind to understand.

Now.

It was repeated over and over again, with every second that Warden spent away from her body increasing the weight of the single syllable.

Now.

And finally, he complied.

He lowered himself back down and nestled his hips between her thighs, making both their chests bump, their stomachs rubbing against one another.

And then he entered her.

First it was slow, the tip of his erection carefully testing her insides, but then he went deeper until he was all the way in. He didn't hold back. He didn't ask for permission. He didn't have to.

She was all his, and she knew it.

Paige felt whole.

Her vision disappeared, she was blind with fullness. He was bigger than anything she'd ever imagined. And he was so hard, yet so soft. She felt complete. She couldn't breathe, but she didn't want to, not just yet. This was everything she needed right now.

And then he pulled back, and Paige had just enough time to catch her breath before he was all the way in again.

And then he was out.

And in.

And out.

In.

Out.

In.

It was mad. Both of them could hardly breathe, but breathing was the least of their preoccupations. They wanted more, they wanted each other. They needed each other. Finally Paige moved her hands and took them to his hair, craving his touch desperately. She grabbed chunks of his hair and pulled him to her with every movement.

It was hectic.

Paige couldn't see Warden as he thrust inside of her, but she could feel him. With each stroke she raised her pelvis to meet him halfway, and then he was doing deeper and deeper inside of her. Their tempo became erratic.

And it was terrifying.

Her dreamscape was on fire.

Her whole body was on fire.

She couldn't take it.

"Warden..." she moaned, her voice constrained from the pleasure.

"Hold on" came his voice, shaky and quivery.

Paige didn't know if she could what he'd asked. But she didn't know if she could do anything else, for that matter.

Warden slipped his hands understand her arms and his hands grabbed her shoulders. His face was millimetres away from hers, and she could feel his hot breath on her face.

In one swift moment he kissed her with full force, their mouths colliding painfully. When he pulled away, both had enough time to catch their breaths before he thrust into her once more, hard.

And then she exploded.

The orgasm crashed through her like a wave crashing against rocks. But this time the wave was made of oil, and her dreamscape burst into a thousand pieces as Paige convulsed underneath it.

Seconds later, Warden burst as well, spilling every bit of his being into her.

Like oil and fire.

It was exhilarating.

Both of them convulsed for a few minutes, neither able to grasp the reality of what was happening, both of them cherishing each wave of pleasure, riding it as best as they could.

Paige had never been closer to the aether. It was as if she was the aether herself, a part of it, so undistinguishable from the others that they looked the same.

She loved it.

She loved him.

It was wrong.

His name escaped her lips several times, and from a distant place she could hear her name being chanted over and over again.

Irrationality ruled her whole being. She couldn't see, couldn't think. She could only feel.

Finally, their damp heads collapsed against each other, their mouths panting from exhaustion.

They kissed, they pulled away. They kissed again.

Warden remained inside of her with no intention of moving, but she would not complain.

She loved him there.

And it was wrong, on every possible level.

He kissed her again, this time an exhausted kiss.

When he pulled away, she whispered, "We can't love each other."

"I know." Came his reply.

Their conversation was an echo of the one they'd had before, but this time both knew it would not lead to a separation.

"So let's not." She implored. Paige wasn't being irrational, she was being fair. They couldn't love one another, it was taboo. If they both said they didn't, they might have a chance at survival.

She might have a chance at escaping, with him.

"I don't love you, Paige." He said.

"I don't love you, either." She promised.

And they both meant it

A/N: I am aware Samantha stated in an interview that Paige and Warden are not in love (yet) but then I thought: what if they are? So just for fun I'm taking down that route. I am also aware that she is not permitted to read anything that hasn't been published, so I now she will never read this. Which puts my mind at ease, to be honest. I apologise if you were waiting for some rough M fiction, (I really was thinking about it) but then I realised that Paige didn't trust Warden just yet so this was an issue they needed to overcome in order to have sex. Oh, and whatever I described about their dreamscapes, is totally made up.

You can follow me on twitter: Boneseasondream

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And her madly talented bestie: L_leatutufu

Hope you enjoyed it!